Hello there
I was in the exact same situation as you 5 years ago, i was in
the worst sec 2 express class, and yes, my school also puts A maths
and the pure sciences together.
I was also not allowed to take A maths and other maths subjects
like POA because i failed my Secondary 2 Maths overall, and i took
F&N for one of my O level subjects, and i only took 6 subjects
for my Os.
As far as i know, minimum requirement to be placed into an A
maths class differs from school to school, some school requires all
their students to have A maths. some will put you in A maths when u
achieve a certain grade for E maths.
So now the problem is you will be taking either:
1. Compulsory subjects + Pure Physics/ Pure chemistry / Biology
right?
2. Compulsory subjects + Combine Sci + D&T/F&N +
POA
Frankly speaking, to me, i think B4 for Maths is good enough to
pass A maths.
I took Engineering Maths in poly(which is sth like A maths) with my
C5 O level maths, and didn't find a lot of problems.
I am also very weak in algebra, i can't solve a quadratic equation
now(unless you let me practice it before exam).
Yes, to be able to do well in A maths, you should need good
maths foundation like algebra, algebra combined with fractions, and
you need to know exactly what to do when you see the equation, like
you can take out the common factor, simplify them, factorise,
lowest denominator, then take the value and sub into the other
equation, cross multiply. All this will come to you with
practice
I am worried about The Pure Chemistry and Pure physics/ Biology.
My impression of those subjects are still very difficult.
Whether you are going to JC or Poly also factors in your
decision.
Combination 2 will be good enough for you to Enter Poly(even for
engineering course).
If you are aiming for JC, fight for Combination 1 with A maths, you
will need them.
Having Combination 1 and entering poly is like a bonus, so you
don't need to work so hard in poly.
I can't really give you a straight answer whether you should
risk taking A maths, however I believe with a B4 and adequate
practice, you will be able to do well in A maths if you practice,
yes take out a pen and just start doing.
Also don't be sad if the school didn't give you your choice,
they are just subject combinations, if you don't have a chance to
learn them now, you will get to learn them in the future.
I didn't get the chance to do A maths and pure physics in sec
school, but in poly i picked up some university maths part time, a
subject same as A level physics.
All the best
